-Billy Porter!
Thank you so much for being on our show.
We appreciate it. We love you. How are you?
-I'm fantastic. Thank you for having me.
-Are you getting to work on anything?
What are you up to? What -- How are you spending your time?
-Yeah, you know, so, I've been writing.
You know, I've been getting up most mornings at like 5:00
and writing from 5:00 to 10:00.
I have a memoir that's due to the publisher in October,
along with a children's picture book to accompany it.
-Wow. -So I'm working on that.
-That's great. -I'm working on a musical.
I just finished a pilot
for a series that I've been developing.
I'm working on new music as you -- as you know.
-Oh, absolutely. I love it. -Yeah.
-I love your songs, too.
-I'm just trying to stay creative and --
-How does the -- How does a memoir work?
Like, where do you start on a memoir?
Do you get to a story where you're like,
"Whew, I can't tell that story"?
-Um...no.
-[ Laughs ] -Because I'm telling the truth.
I'm a truth teller. -You are?
-Oh, I don't know... -I'm a truth teller.
I'm telling all of my [bleep]. Just mine.
-[ Laughs ] I mean, good. I want to hear it.
Because, obviously, I'm a fan of yours.
Man, oh, man. You've been crushing the red carpet.
Crushing it! Owning! Owning the red carpet!
-[ Laughs ] Thank you. -Really.
-Thank you. No, I've really been taking a break.
-Oh, really?
-Taking this time to take a break and breathe.
Have a little self-care, figure out what balance looks like.
-But, you can't lose that creative Billy Porter
that we love. You can't lose the mechanical hat.
-[ Laughs ] It's not going nowhere.
It's not going nowhere. -The mechanical hat was the one!
-[ Laughs ] -That was the one!
I go, "Oh, my gosh." -Is that your favorite, Jimmy?
-That was my favorite!
Because no one saw it coming, dude.
Everyone was like, "Oh, that's cool.
That's just some fringe. That's all."
And you're like -- Is it?
[ Overlapping dialogue ]
-Well, my stylist had the remote...
steps from me.
So, we had a sign. -[ Laughs ]
-So, when you -- So, when I stood in second position
and clamped my purse in between my legs,
he was to press the button.
-[ Laughs ] I didn't know how you did it.
It just broke the Internet.
I go, "Oh, Billy Porter did it again!"
-[ Laughs ] -It was great.
-You know, we came -- It came about
because when we were at --
I think we were at the American Music Awards,
and I was right behind Billie Eilish on the red carpet,
and she was wearing this, like, Gucci veil.
And it was so cute, and I said, "Oh, that's really cute."
But I'm never wearing something that covers up my face.
I've waited too long for this moment.
Folks need to see my face.
So then my stylist came back to me and said,
"Well, what if the veil opened and closed electronically?"
-The rest is history. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Somebody's got to do it. Somebody's got to do it.
-Yep. I almost feel like that's a page in the memoir
where there's one page that you got to open up.
-[ Laughs ] Electronically.
-Yes. -It comes with a clicker.
-It comes with a cli-- Yeah.
It comes with a stylist, someone to help out.
And then you released a song. -Yes.
-Just a brand-new -- You did a version of
"For What It's Worth," which is --
I mean, it's an anthem.
It's Buffalo Springfield, but it's --
For anyone who doesn't know the song from the title, but it's --
♪ Something's happening here ♪
-♪ What it is ain't exactly clear ♪
Yes! -It's good.
-♪ Paranoia strikes deep ♪
♪ Into your life it will creep ♪
-Yes!
♪ And so we stop, hey, what's that sound? ♪
♪ Everybody look what's going down ♪
-You got props from Stephen Stills, by the way.
-I did get props from Stephen Stills.
He really loves it. And, you know, I just wanted to,
as an artist, do something with this platform,
this new platform that I have, to ignite change,
to ignite a fire under our behinds
so that we get out to vote.
This is an election year.
We have lived through this last three-plus years of terror.
And it's time for it to be over.
And, you know, I grew up with protest music.
I'm first-generation post-Civil Rights.
Then coming out as gay and being on the frontlines
during the AIDS crisis, activism is in my DNA.
-Mm-hmm. -And I wanted to make sure
that I was showing up in that way.
And so that's what this song is all about.
And the message is, it's time for change.
Change for good.
And get out to vote to make that happen.
-Get out and vote.
You also chose Actors Fund
as a charity that we should spotlight.
I just -- I feel so bad
for everyone in the Broadway community, but --
-Yeah. Thousands and thousands of people out of work.
-How -- What's your familiarity with the Actors Fund?
-Well, you know, when I came onto the scene
on Broadway in 1990, '91,
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Actors Fund
were -- joined together to combat the AIDS crisis.
And, you know, it was where
I learned all of my activism stuff.
It's where I engaged.
And then, you know, the Actors Fund
has been around for about 150 years.
And, you know, they support actors who are in need.
You know, I went through a really dry period in the aughts,
and they were there for me.
You know, they paid rent for me.
They paid my medical bills for me.
And now my mother resides in New Jersey
at the Actors Fund Nursing Home.
So the Actors Fund has really been
a huge, huge part of my life.
-Wow. -And, uh --
-I didn't know that. That's amazing. That's amazing.
Yeah, and now is the time where you go,
"Hey, we've got to give back, guys."
We always have been giving, but even if you haven't,
a little bit, even a little bit, a dollar helps.
You have no idea how much... -Pay it forward.
-...how much it goes and how many people it affects
just by giving any little bit -- 50 cents, whatever you can do.
-Well, we have to take care of each other.
You know, this is how we take care of each other.
-Yeah. Billy Porter, I love you.
I can't wait to see you in person.
-Me too. -And thank you for doing this.
And I can't wait to read the book.
And I can't wait to listen to the song.
You're giving me a lot of Billy Porter love.
And the kids' book that's going to come with it.
-The kids' book, yes. -It's so great to see you.
And you make a lot of people happy.
Thanks for doing this. Bye, bud. -Thank you for having me.